To Be A Malfoy
by Daphne Li
Summary: Draco's world has fallen apart, and he is left alone to pick up the pieces. However, through a series of chance enounters, he manages to find himself once more. D:OC chps. 6&7 up!
1. Prologue

Daphne: Here is the side story to 'The Phoenix's Prophecy'. It would be a good thing to read this, before reading the sequel, but it's not required. I'd also like to assure you that this is not a slash fic, just in case you think otherwise by the end of this chapter!  
  
Anyway, please enjoy this story, and please review to tell me what you think!  
  
***DISCLAIMER: I do not own Harry Potter, or any of the characters created by JK Rowling. I do, however, own the made up characters such as Stephen and Kaitlynn, so do not copy them!***  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
To Be A Malfoy  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Prologue  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
I wasn't daft. I knew that Goyle had been working on Dumbledore's side for quite some time. I had seen the way he shot looks at Potter, and that weasel of a Weasley girl. I also knew that Cassia would never join Voldemort's side either. She had never been that type.  
  
Because she was younger, father had given her more freedom. He hadn't been as harsh on her. But I was the first-born. The only male. The heir of the Malfoy fortune, and the one who would carry on the Malfoy name and ideals. Therefore I had to be formed into the perfect person...No, let me rephrase that. I had to be the perfect Malfoy.  
  
That's what I was. A sycophant. A kiss-up to the Dark Lord. A pathetic minion to Voldemort's doings. I had to bow to the Dark Lord's mandate. I had to bend to my father's will. I had to do as I was told, believe what I was told, not question what I was told. And for quite some time, that's just what I did.  
  
Father wanted me to hate muggles and muggle-borns. I didn't dare argue. He wanted me to be a Slytherin. I couldn't expect to be anywhere else, so why bother asking? He wanted me to be superior. So I would be at the top, nothing wrong with that. I had to be friends with other pure-bloods. No problem, but they can be such blockheads. He wanted me to marry a pure- blooded woman. Not to hard to do...was it?  
  
I never questioned anything my father told me, except for the few times I saw my sister rebel. My tiny little sister, with her golden curls like silk, and her blue eyes like the stormy seas. So young, so fragile, yet she dared to argue and question. She dared to go against our father, no matter what the punishment. These were the few times when I would actually wonder if perhaps, what my father was saying was wrong.  
  
But that was always quashed when he punished her and sent her away, turning his attention back to me. I was to ask no questions. I was to be a good boy and follow Voldemort. I was to be a Death Eater like my father.  
  
It was that last thing, that caused me to shiver every time I heard him say it. Yes, it showed weakness, and many a-time I was beaten for it. But the idea of following that man and doing his deeds, made my entire being rebel. To this day I don't know why. Perhaps even then I had heart enough to dread people dying by my hand...or by the hands of people I was aquatinted with.  
  
Perhaps that is why I am now at a crossroads. I have been given a chance, for the first time in my life. I have the choice of what to do with my own life. My father can't make it for me, nor can Voldemort, my sister, my mother, or anyone else. Just me. Only Draco Malfoy.  
  
As I stand on the train platform in Hogsmede, I allow my gaze to turn back to the place I called 'home' for the past seven years. Hogwarts still stands tall and majestic, despite it's having been the site of one of the greatest battles in history. Its grey-colored stone stands out against the green hills and blue sky, but at the same time it seems to almost blend in with the rest of the scenery.  
  
Hearing a train whistle, I turn around to see the train coming down the track. I am alone on the platform, because everyone else is still back at the school, celebrating Voldemort's downfall and the graduation of the seventh years. But I'm no longer welcome there. I have no place, I have no set future. I am simply Draco Malfoy, here and now.  
  
"Malfoy."  
  
I turn, startled. Behind me stands Potter, his unruly hair blowing into his face as the train stops. Our eyes meet, and for a moment, I feel something tightening...in my chest. It's not happiness at seeing him, because I most certainly am not. But it's something else...  
  
"What?" I grunt. His green eyes narrow. Then he says something that I know I will never forget.  
  
"If you ever need anything, I'll be here." He said, his voice giving no clue as to what he was thinking. Then our eyes met again, and I knew. We may not be friends, we may even hate each other, but we have a mutual understanding. One that will stick with us for the rest of our lives.  
  
"Thanks, Potter." I mutter, realizing that it was probably the only time I've ever thanked him. He looks startled for a moment, then I see his mouth quirk up.  
  
"Anytime. Take care, Draco." Again, his words startle me. He called me by my first name. Just this once, I suppose it's alright to reciprocate.  
  
"You too, Harry."  
  
With this, I get onto the train. I find an empty compartment and put my things away, sinking into the seat when I'm through. As the train moves away, I look out the window and see him still standing there, looking off into the distance.  
  
And I realize something.  
  
Someone cared about what happened to me.  
  
Even though he hated me, he cared enough to let me know that I wasn't alone. That I had someone to go to when times got rough. That I had a future, and this was the start of it.  
  
As the train began to move faster, I had only one thought before I fell asleep.  
  
'Maybe, just maybe, Potter's not so bad after all.'  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	2. Not your daddy's boy

Daphne: The first real chapter of this story! I hope that you are enjoying it, and I hope that you send in reviews to tell me what you think of it! I'd really appreciate it! A lot of people tell me that this story and 'The Phoenix's Prophecy' overlap. Well, that is because the stories are all linked together. Even 'The Chosen Ones' will overlap with the last two, because it comes right out of these two stories!  
  
Anyway, on with this chapter!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
To Be A Malfoy  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 1.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Malfoy. When you're done with that report, you're free to go."  
  
I looked up to see my boss, Stephen McKay, looming over my desk. I merely nodded to him, and continued to read the progression report, which I had been putting off for the past two days. When I was through, I gave a sigh of relief and packed up my briefcase. Then I hurried to the apparation room and apparated home to my two-room condo.  
  
I had been living in New York for two months now, and I was only just starting to get used to it. It had not been hard to find a job at the American Ministry of Magic (or AMM as we call it), and I soon found myself working in the finance department under Stephen. Though he acted strict, he was actually a nice guy who had helped me find a half-way decent place to live. Sure, it wasn't Malfoy Manor, but it was good enough for a guy who was trying to re-build his life.  
  
It was a condo building rented out specifically to wizards and witches, which made it easier for me to become accustomed with fact that it was in an all-muggle neighborhood. It was a second-floor condo, next door to an old wizarding couple who were really quite friendly. The catch was, my apartments came with a pregnant cat who had been abandoned by her previous owners. So now, I was stuck with a cat (I named her Nora, after Filch's cat, Mrs. Norris), which would soon become four cats.  
  
Looking around my flat idly, I noticed that I wasn't feeling very hungry yet, even though it had reached seven. Seeing that the cat had taken refuge in my chair, and didn't look like she was going to abandon it anytime soon, I decided to take a walk on the nearby beach before settling down for the night.  
  
Having lived here for two months, I had realized that living near the coast did have it's advantages. The sun-ups were spectacular, and the sun-sets were even better to watch, when reflected on the water of the Atlantic ocean. I rarely saw anyone else on the beach at this time of night, so it was quickly becoming one of my haunts. Unfortunately, that was not the case tonight.  
  
As I watched the sun set across the beach, I marveled at the pinks, blues, and purples that were splattered across the sky. I wondered how I had ever missed seeing this as a boy growing up.....but then again, maybe it was better that I hadn't. I might not have appreciated it as much.  
  
"It's beautiful, isn't it?"  
  
A soft voice spoke behind me, causing me to turn. Behind me stood a young woman, no older than myself. She had long brown hair that was pulled back into a ponytail, and bright blue eyes that reflected the light of the sunset. She was slim, and quite a bit shorter than my six-foot-three height.  
  
"Yeah." I managed, allowing my eyes to search her face. Her face was heart- shaped, and a pale ivory color, though her cheeks seemed to hold a natural flush in them. Her nose was a button, compared to the rest of her face, though her big eyes seemed to make up for that. Her gaze was trained at the sky, but I could tell that she knew I was still watching her.  
  
"I love watching the sun rise and set. It seems so mystical compared to the rest of the day." She continued in that soft voice. I allowed my eyes to narrow as I processed what she had said. For a muggle, she seemed pretty smart...either that, or overly imaginative...  
  
"You're a wizard, aren't you?" She asked, her attention snapping back to me. Her blue eyes bored into mine, as waves of shock and slight alarm filled me.  
  
"Wh...what? Why do you think that?" I stammered, taking a step back from her. Her eyes twinkled at me.  
  
"Because muggles don't usually carry sticks in their pockets." She murmured, pointing to my front left pocket. I felt my cheeks flush and glared at her.  
  
"Are you a witch?" I asked. She smiled and shook her head.  
  
"No. My cousin is, though. She's told me all about the wizarding world, and told me what to watch for." She looked pointedly at my wand, and then stuck out her hand.  
  
"I'm Kaitlynn Ross."  
  
I stared at her hand in slight discomfort, then remembered that 1) I was no longer under my father's orders, and 2) it was polite to respond when talking to a lady, whether she was muggle or not.  
  
"Draco Malfoy." I muttered, shaking her hand shortly. I couldn't help but notice how soft and warm her small hand seemed in mine. She beamed up at me.  
  
"It is nice to meet someone who enjoys nature as much as I do." She commented, turning her attention back to the sky. I froze for a moment, thinking this one over. I had never actually thought of myself as a nature- lover, but now that she mentioned it...  
  
"Well, it was nice meeting you, Draco Malfoy. But I've got to go. See you around!" With this, she spun away, walking swiftly up another sandy path towards some beach-side cottages. I stared after her for a moment, then began to walk back towards my house. My mind was left spinning from this strange encounter, and I didn't even realize that I had reached home, until I nearly hit my head on the front door.  
  
"Muggles." I muttered as a final thought, before I went inside and locked the door behind me.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Over the next few days, I found my mind continuously wandering back to that girl I had met on the beach. I had tried to fight it, mostly because she was a muggle, and I was a respectable, pure-blooded wizard with morals. But my mind refused to take that as a logical reason, and tortured me by bringing her face back to my memory.  
  
Even my co-workers seemed to notice that I was more distracted than usual. More often than not, I came out of my reverie to find Stephen McKay grinning knowingly at me. Though he was only two years older than me (and my boss), he seemed to be the most logical person to talk with on the subject.  
  
He too, was a pure-blood from a rather...assertive family, and had married a muggle-born woman they believed to be 'below' their class. Being from the family that he was, he knew exactly who I was, and what sort of family I had come from. But also being an open type of person, he had given me the benefit of the doubt, and I had learned to trust him above anyone I had ever met before, save maybe for Potter (though I would never admit it).  
  
So in a way, he became more like a friend to me, then a boss. And since things like this usually go both ways, I became more of a friend than an employee to him.  
  
I suppose it was for this reason that a week later, he waited until our lunch-break to corner me. I was sitting at a corner table in the eating courts, when he came and sat down across from me.  
  
"So...what's on your mind, Malfoy?"  
  
I looked up, surprised that he even dared to ask. Then I shot him a frown that in the past, had made others cower. But not him, unfortunately. He just grinned.  
  
"You stare into space like a lovesick fool, you rarely eat, your eyes get glazed, you..."  
  
"Enough! I get the point." I moaned, smacking my forehead with my hand. He chuckled.  
  
"Is it a girl?"  
  
"Maybe." I grunted.  
  
"Who is it?" He questioned, smirking. I glared at him.  
  
"I don't know. I met her on the beach last week. I only talked to her for a few minutes...no, actually, *she* talked, I just stood there like a star- dazed fool." I muttered. He laughed outright, now.  
  
"That's just like you, Drake. Honestly. You need to learn how to talk with women."  
  
"She was a muggle."  
  
This got him to stop laughing. His brown eyes became serious and he ran a hand through his dark brown hair. I could almost see the wheels turning in his head, as he thought over what I had just admitted.  
  
"You're not your father, Draco." He finally said. I sighed.  
  
"I know. But in a way...I am the essence of him. I've hated muggles and muggle-borns all my life. I was taught to hate them. Then this girl comes along and it's almost like she's unconsciously trying to tear apart everything I've known since I was small." I ranted. He smiled.  
  
"When I met Rachael, it was like that. She tore down all my barriers and look what's happened. I'm married to her. I love her more than anything. She showed me that my family wasn't always right." Stephen murmured. I shrugged.  
  
"That's you, McKay. I'm a *Malfoy*. I am known as the ultimate evil, next to Voldemort. I am a muggle murderer." I stated. His face darkened.  
  
"Have you ever murdered anyone?"  
  
"No."  
  
"Were you a Death Eater? Did you follow Voldemort?"  
  
"I followed his ideals..."  
  
"That doesn't count, Malfoy! You are not your father! You are not Voldemort's lackey! You may have been cruel, brainwashed, and horrible, but you can change that. You are your own man, now. You make your own decisions, you make your own life." Stephen finished, folding his arms. I felt stunned for a moment, then nodded slowly.  
  
"Therefore, you should feel no guilt or hate when you talk to this girl. You are a new man. Give it a chance."  
  
I thought this over for a moment, and then smiled slightly.  
  
"How do you know I will ever see her again?" I asked teasingly. He grinned.  
  
"Trust me, Malfoy. You will."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
You know, if I didn't know better, I would have thought that Stephen McKay was psychic. Of course, then I would have to add that he is also a huge git. Why?  
  
Because the day after we had our little 'chat', I saw Kaitlynn Ross again.  
  
I was sitting at my desk going over the itinerary for a meeting we were having later in the afternoon, when I heard two female voices coming towards our office. I looked up to see Stephen's face glowing as he looked expectantly at the door. There was a knock, then:  
  
"Steve, honey? Can we come in?"  
  
Stephen grinned and stood up.  
  
"Sure!"  
  
The door swung open to reveal two women. A black-haired one that I had only seen in the pictures on Stephen's desk, and the other that I had seen not so long ago...  
  
"Why, Draco Malfoy! What a pleasant surprise!" Kaitlynn chirped, her blue eyes lighting up. Her hair was pulled back into a braid today, making her look even younger than she was. I stood up, unsure of what else to do. I noticed that Stephen was greeting the other woman in a whole different way, and tried not to smirk. Kaitlynn seemed to notice as well, because she grinned and rolled her eyes.  
  
"Honestly you two. Get a room!" She teased, as the two guilty people came up for air. They shot her mean looks, but stopped their activity.  
  
"We just finished with a little shopping and Rachael insisted that we come to visit. She had to put a spell on me so I could see the building, but I managed! Rachael's the cousin I was telling you about, by the way." Kaitlynn explained to me, who was really the only person listening. I smiled, but it dropped when I saw the strange look that Rachael was shooting me.  
  
"Malfoy? As in, Draco Malfoy?" She asked. I immediately knew that she had heard of my reputation, and felt my heart sink. Would I never be free of that?  
  
"Yes. Honey, this is Draco Malfoy, my friend and coworker." Stephen obviously noticed the danger signs as well. Her face softened and I realized that she was also giving me the benefit of the doubt.  
  
"Nice to finally meet you, Mr. Malfoy. So you're the one Kate's been talking so much about." As Rachael said this, I shot Kaitlynn a startled look. I noticed that her cheeks turned slightly red.  
  
"We've met, yes." I said shortly, not wanting to embarrass the girl any more than necessary. I admit, I was relieved to find out that I wasn't the only one obsessing about that meeting on the beach!  
  
"Darling, Kate and I were thinking about having a picnic on the beach tonight. Why don't you bring Mr. Malfoy along?" Rachael suggested. A wave of shock and slight pleasure wafted over me, when I heard this suggestion. Kaitlynn was nodding eagerly, and Stephen shot me a 'look'. I shrugged and then nodded, and he smiled.  
  
"Sounds great. We'll meet you at the beach at say...seven?" He prompted, looking at me. I nodded again, still unable to say anything.  
  
"Ok. Well, I guess we'll see you then. Love you!" Rachael murmured, leaning over to kiss Stephen again. I rolled my eyes and realized that Kaitlynn had done the same thing. We smiled at each other, and then Rachael dragged her from the room, leaving me wondering what had just happened. I didn't even noticed that Stephen had sat back down, until I heard a chuckle.  
  
"So...you're sweet on my cousin-in-law. Who would've thought?" He asked teasingly. I turned to glare at him.  
  
"I'm not sweet on her." I retorted, sitting back down and hunching over my work. He mumbled something that I almost swear sounded like:  
  
"Maybe not yet..."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"You're here! Finally!" Rachael crowed, throwing herself into Stephen's arms. I chuckled as he nearly fell over onto the soft white sand, but managed to keep his balance, somehow. Kaitlynn was already seated, placing things out on the checkered picnic blanket. I decided that since Stephen was busy, I would be a gentleman and help her.  
  
"I'm glad you came. Usually when we have these things, I feel like such a third wheel. But now, at least, I have someone to talk to." She stated, as she handed me the napkins to arrange. I decided then, to begin being the 'new' Draco Malfoy right here and now. So instead of staying silent and mauling over things, I simply grinned.  
  
"Yeah. We can be third wheels together." I muttered to her, as the lovebirds came to sit down. She giggled and finished setting out the food. The couple across from us helped themselves and began to eat without further adieu. Kaitlynn and I shared another 'look'.  
  
"Well, thanks for all the appreciation, guys." She called in an overly loud voice. The two in question turned to grin guiltily at us, before continuing. Kaitlynn sighed and set about getting her own food.  
  
"Help yourself. We made extra, just for you." She murmured, handing me a plate. I smiled and did as she told.  
  
"You know, where I come from, we'd be having fried chicken, pickles, olives, and salad items right now, instead of sandwiches and chips." I informed her. She looked at me in surprise.  
  
"Really?"  
  
"Yes. And we'd be eating at a picnic table. I'm afraid to say my mother was a bit of a spoil-sport when it came to such things. She refused to eat anything but the best, and hated to eat on the ground." I informed her. I wondered why I was telling her such things, but to my surprise, I didn't really mind.  
  
"What else did you do?" She asked, looking genuinely curious.  
  
"Well, we never left the grounds of our home. My father didn't..." I stopped here, my face darkening. She must have noticed, because she set her plate down and stared at me.  
  
"What was your family like?" She asked. I looked at my food and shook my head.  
  
"I'd rather not talk about it right now."  
  
"Later?" She asked insistently, sending me puppy-dog eyes. I felt my resolve melt.  
  
"Maybe." This caused her face to light up again, and she continued eating her meal. After we were all through, Stephen and Rachael decided to take a walk up the beach a little ways. Kaitlynn managed to get me to agree to take a walk down the other way, so as not to run into them.  
  
The sun had long since set, and a full moon was rising over the water, sending beams of watery white light across the beach. We walked in silence for a while, until she spoke.  
  
"Rachael told me about the Malfoy's, once. But you don't seem anything like what she told me." She mussed. I winced, feeling like a criminal.  
  
"I used to be. But I'm trying to break out of that, now." I muttered, not even sure if she had heard me. It seems she had.  
  
"What was your family like?" She questioned softly. My steps slowed a bit, and I found my gaze trained on the white sand beneath my feet.  
  
"They were horrible...at least, my parents were. My father was a Death-eater, my mother was a strong follower of Voldemort. My sister, however, wanted nothing to do with that and turned to the light side. I, on the other hand, was stuck under my father's thumb."  
  
She was silent for a while.  
  
"Is that why you went neutral in the war? Why you didn't choose either side?" She asked, pushing her braid over her shoulder. I felt my body freeze. I had expected her to hate me, to run away, to scream, when I told her my story. But not this. I had never expected her to accept it and treat me as though I was a normal person. The reality of what was happening struck me and I felt my heart lighten.  
  
"I suppose. I didn't want to follow Voldemort. I didn't want to live under my father for the rest of my life. But I also wasn't good enough to be on the light side...at least, not yet." I admitted. She sighed lightly.  
  
"From what I've seen, you're not a bad person. Just misunderstood, both by others and by yourself." She murmured. My heart stopped as she said this, and I thought it over quickly.  
  
"Maybe so..." I relented.  
  
"But I also know something. You can't stay on the fence forever, Draco Malfoy. You'll have to choose." She stated. I frowned in confusion.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You will have to choose a side someday. You can't just stay neutral, it's impossible. You'll have to make a decision, and soon." She informed me. It was then that I realized she was right. I couldn't just run away from being a Malfoy, nor could I allow the Malfoy name to stay in the evil place it was now. I would have to choose. And by going neutral, I had already made my decision, though I had not known it at the time.  
  
My heart lightened once more, and it felt as though the entire earth had been lifted from my shoulders. I had a new life, a new future, and a new destiny. I was a new man.  
  
"You're right. I can't." I allowed myself to chuckle here, and a smile broke out on her face, the moonlight shining in her eyes.  
  
"You are an amazing person, Draco Malfoy. I hope you know that." She stated, making me laugh.  
  
"So are you, Kaitlynn Ross. So are you."  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	3. Kitten and the kittens

To Be A Malfoy  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 2.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Over the next few weeks, I became more aware of how hard my resolve to be the new 'me', actually was. I began to see things that I had never paid attention to before, and had never seemed important. But now, they were starting to mean more to me than anything. Like life, the love of friends and family, the simply beauty of the things around me, etc. It was hard for me to admit, but once I did, it was a lot easier to change. I found myself opening up to more people, finding less to feel suspicious about, and more to enjoy about the company. And although the shadow of what I had been still hung over me like a powerful veil, I rarely ever paid any attention to it.  
  
Stephen was a great help during this time. He knew quite well what I was going through, and did his best to help me through it. Several times during the week, I found myself invited over to his house for dinner and a movie. During this trying time, I came to know his wife almost as well as him, and found her to be excellent company. I also discovered I had a strange liking for these muggle movies, and enjoyed them almost as much as I did the company.  
  
But it was Kaitlynn, who truly pulled me out of the gutter, so to speak. She was always there for me when I had a question to ask, or something I felt I needed to talk about. She listened to my rants, and made responses that helped me to cope with myself. We usually met on the beach to talk, though she frequently came over to her cousin's for dinner and we talked there, too.  
  
"So.....what's this about a cat? Steve told me you had a cat." She said one night, when we were walking along the beach. I turned and grinned at her.  
  
"Actually, I do. But it will be four cats, soon." I informed her. Her eyes lit up and she gave a laugh.  
  
"She's pregnant?"  
  
"Yes. She belonged to the previous owners of my condo, but they abandoned her for some reason. So I got stuck with her. But I guess she's a decent companion." I admitted grudgingly. Kaitlynn giggled.  
  
"You mean, you're attached to her. The great Draco Malfoy, attached to a cat!" She teased, nudging me with her elbow. I shot her a mock-glare, then smiled slightly. We continued walking back towards her house in silence.  
  
"May I see her?" She asked suddenly, startling me.  
  
"Name the time and place." I agreed. She clapped her hands in delight, something that she does when she's thrilled about something or other.  
  
"Now! Your place, since pregnant cats shouldn't be moved around much." She stated. Again, she surprised me, but I nodded.  
  
"All right. Come on." I led her down the path towards my condo building. When we reached it, I was alarmed to hear a shrill mewing coming from inside my apartment.  
  
"Something must have happened." I muttered, quickly unlocking the door and flicking on the hall lights. Usually, Nora would come waddling up to meet me, but tonight she was nowhere in sight. The mewing became louder, however, and more pronounced. We followed it to the living room, and there lay a little calico-colored beast. Nora was laying in the middle of the floor, on her side, panting violently. Because of my growing alarm, I barely heard Kaitlynn's gasp behind me. But I sure heard what she said next.  
  
"Draco! She's having the kittens! We have to get her into a warm place!" She moaned, moving towards the prostrate cat. My alarm just grew at her words.  
  
"What should I do?" I asked helplessly. She looked up for a second, then looked back at Nora.  
  
"Get me a medium-sized cardboard box with high sides, and a fluffy towel that you don't use much." She instructed. I hurried to get the things she had listed and came back in a moment, to find her gently lifting the panting cat, all the while avoiding putting pressure on the cat's stomach.  
  
"Fold the blanket into the bottom of the box, then put it on the floor." Again, I did as I was told, and in a few minutes, Nora was in her new bed. Kaitlynn sat back and looked approvingly at me.  
  
"Now we sit around and wait. It could take anywhere from a few minutes, to a few hours." She muttered. I groaned and collapsed onto the couch.  
  
"As if this cat hasn't given me enough grief, now I'm going to have to deal with four of them." I muttered. She laughed and sat next to me.  
  
"Don't worry. I'll stay until they're all born."  
  
"Kate, I can't ask you to do that." I said, sitting up straighter. Sure, I wouldn't mind her company, but it was already late, and I didn't want to keep her up later.....  
  
"I want to. I've never seen new-born kittens before, unless you count on TV." She informed me. Luckily, by now I knew what a TV was.....  
  
"Then how'd you know what to do?" I asked, pointing at the box. She smiled.  
  
"I've watched a little too much 'Animal Planet'." She informed me, making me laugh. We sat there for about forty-five more minutes, until Kaitlynn decided to go check on Nora, who had gone silent.  
  
"Draco! Come look!" Her voice was a whisper, and a shriek, all in one. I shook my head, amused, but stood up and walked over to the box. I admit. I was shocked to see three more tiny balls of fur in there with her.  
  
"Aren't they darling?" She asked in a soft voice. I couldn't help but agree. The kittens were snuggled up so close to their mother, that you would hardly be able to tell where she started and the others ended, if not for the difference in their colorings.  
  
The biggest kitten was a orange and creme stripped fur-ball, with little white feet. The second largest was a calico, like it's mother, and the tiniest (obviously the runt) was a pure black creature. While it's siblings crowded close together, it had taken to sleeping near Nora's back legs.  
  
"That one is a boy." Kaitlynn murmured, pointing to the tiger-striped one.  
  
"How do you know?" I asked, shooting her a funny look. She smiled.  
  
"The coloring and stripes are usually only found in boy cats. The calicos are normally girls, and the black one could be either/or." She informed me. I rolled my eyes.  
  
"So, you're a mama now. That must feel wonderful, to have all those babies." Kaitlynn crooned, as she stroked Nora's ears. I saw that her face had gained a slight yearning look, and I wondered about it.  
  
"Why should she feel wonderful?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. Kaitlynn seemed to snap out of whatever thought she had fallen into, and looked at me.  
  
"Because! Having a child is a wonderful experience." She murmured, her eyes soft. This time, my eyebrows nearly raised off my face.  
  
"It is?" I asked sarcastically. She nodded vigorously.  
  
"So, get married. Have a baby." I muttered, turning back to the box. Kaitlynn sighed.  
  
"I hope to, someday. I love children."  
  
"Children are pains." I teased. She grinned.  
  
"I know. But I love them anyway. And my mom used to say that carrying the child is one of the best parts. Knowing that you have a little life inside you, and it depends on you. I want to feel that someday." At her words, I felt my entire body freeze. How could someone who had never experienced it, have such a passion and love for it? Obviously, she could.  
  
"What about you. Do you want kids?" She asked, turning her attention back to Nora. I shuddered slightly.  
  
"After my experience? Are you joking?" I snapped lightly. Her smile faded, and she didn't reply. I felt guilt waft over me.  
  
"Maybe someday. Not now, though. I don't think I could face it anytime soon." I answered. Her smile returned and she stroked the cat one more time.  
  
"I'd better go. It's getting late." She murmured, looking up at the clock on the wall. I noted that it was now eleven thirty, and stood.  
  
"Let me walk you home. I don't want you walking alone in the dark." I muttered, looking one last time at my new cat family. She smiled.  
  
"Fine with me."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
After that, Kaitlynn came over almost every day to see the kittens. After about a week, we finally started to pick them up and hold them for short periods of time, under Nora's watchful eye. It turned out that Kate was right, though. The striped one was a tom, while the other two were girls. The tom was the most adventurous of the three, with his calico sister in close second. The little black one, however, tended to be more timid.  
  
Kaitlynn, insistent on all the kittens having names, asked if she could name them. I agreed, not having any names in mind that would have been appropriate, unless you counted Slow, Meek, and Smelly as 'appropriate'. So the tom was now called 'Tigger', the calico was 'Ellie', and the black runt was 'Ebony'.  
  
"She's so shy." Kaitlynn murmured, as she cradled the tiny black ball of fur in her arms. I was busy trying to keep Tigger from crawling off my hand, but I managed to nod at her. Ellie was still tucked away with her mother, so I didn't have to worry about her trying to add to Tigger's enthusiasm. I had moved Nora and her litter into my bedroom, so as to keep a closer eye on her, luckily, she didn't seem to mind.  
  
"I'm going to put him back. He's being a nuisance." I groaned, placing the writhing little tom back next to his mother. Kaitlynn shot me a sorrowful look, but obediently followed my example and put Ebony back. The little kitten sent up a pitiful squeak, before falling silent once more. To tell the truth, I had fallen for that little squeak more than once, and had spent numerous hours cuddling her when Kaitlynn wasn't there, so I could understand why she shot me such a pleading look. But I shook my head and motioned to the doorway.  
  
"You're mean." Pouting, Kate walked from the room, arms folded. I grinned as I shut the door behind us and followed her back to the living room.  
  
"They need some down time. The next door neighbor woman came over earlier, wanting to hold them as well." I informed her. She plopped down on the couch, still not looking very happy, and stared anywhere but me. I knew from experience that this was her way of showing me that she was not pleased with me. I chuckled.  
  
"Give it up, Kitten. I'm not going to back down." I stated, reaching for a book that I had been reading earlier. When I looked back at her, I noticed that she was shooting me a startled look.  
  
"What?"  
  
"You called me 'Kitten'."  
  
"So? I thought it was a fitting nickname." I informed her cheekily. She sent me a disbelieving look, and then grinned.  
  
"Fine. Then I get to call you 'Dragon'. Draco the Dragon." She laughed at her own joke, and I smiled wearily.  
  
"You're strange." I muttered. She laughed again.  
  
"You are too, but I'm not complaining." She teased. I groaned and rolled my eyes.  
  
Just another day in the new life of Draco Malfoy.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	4. Muggle dating program

To Be A Malfoy  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 3.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
I stared at my kitchen table, stunned.  
  
It had been over half a year since I had moved to America, and I was now quite used to muggle mail. But this wasn't muggle mail. A snowy owl sat calmly on the table in front of me, staring at me with intelligent black eyes. I had seen this owl many times before.  
  
It was Potter's.  
  
The owl stuck it's foot out towards me, indicating that I should remove the parchment tied to it's leg. I slowly did as it implied, and then stared at the paper in front of me. The owl gave a soft, slightly annoyed hoot, before turning it's attention to the four creatures who had just entered the kitchen. The four cats stared at the large bird cautiously, then deciding that it wasn't worth the effort of trying to make it their next meal, they walked over to their food-bowls and began to eat. My attention, however, was quickly reverted back to that parchment.  
  
I admit, my hands shook slightly as I untied the string around the parchment and unrolled it. I immediately recognized Potter's handwriting, and decided to get it over with. The parchment went as follows:  
  
//Draco:  
  
I don't know exactly why I'm writing this, but I feel that you might like to know what has happened here since you've gone.  
  
Arthur Weasley has become the British Minister of Magic. Granted, he still works with the Muggle Department closely, but he is taking his new role seriously, and I believe that he will become a much-liked Minister.  
  
I have become the Headmaster of Hogwarts. Strange, I know, and certainly not the career I had in mind, but I am enjoying it. The students arrived four months ago, and to my surprise, they are rather behaved this year, thankfully. (Yes, if you're wondering, I am engaged to Ginny Weasley. We plan to get married when she is out of school. And don't you dare smirk and make some crude comment about the Head Master having an affair with a student.....).  
  
Professor McGonagall has announced her wish to retire, soon. She has taken Hermione Granger.....excuse me. Hermione *Weasley* as her apprentice, and Hermione will be taking over the job next school-year. Yes, Hermione and Ron got married and are the happiest people I've ever met, practically.  
  
Ron Weasley has become the Keeper for the Chudley Cannons, and his team is going to the Quidditch World Cup next year, thanks to him.  
  
Neville Longbottom has become the new Herbology teacher, since Professor Sprout retired. I think you would find it amusing to know that he is one of the best-liked teachers in the school!  
  
Gregory Goyle has taken a job as an Auror. He comes and visits every once in a while, though I believe that he visits more to see Rayana Moore, than anything.  
  
Your sister, Cassia, is engaged to Shane Biederon (a little early, I know, but we all approve). She is doing well in her studies, and I'm sure you would be proud of her.  
  
All-in-all, everything here is peaceful, and returning to normal. But if is not too personal a question, how are you doing?  
  
Just curious.  
  
Sincerely yours,  
  
Harry Potter//  
  
I stared at this letter for some time, trying to figure out what on earth he had been thinking when writing this letter. But then again, I was almost grateful that he had. At least now I knew what was going on in my birthplace, and the happenings of the Ministry. I had almost smiled when I read that Cassia was going to marry that Shane boy. I had expected it, but I didn't know that he would move so fast.  
  
But on another front, the letter sent a pang of something close to longing, though my heart. Everyone seemed to be getting along fine without me, especially my sister. Though she didn't know it, I cared for her a lot more than I showed. And knowing that she hated me to high-heaven and back, did not make me feel any better.  
  
I was more than relieved when my doorbell rang and forced me to answer. When I opened the door, I was greeted by a cheerful face that I had grown to know almost as well as my own over the months.  
  
"Hello, Dragon!" Kaitlynn chirped cheerfully, shooting me a melting smile. I grinned, but obviously the letter still had an impact on me, because she noticed.  
  
"What's wrong?" She asked softly, coming inside. I sighed and shut the door.  
  
"I just got a letter." I muttered.  
  
"From who?"  
  
"Potter."  
  
Obviously, she knew who I was talking about, because her face filled with realization. I had told her about him numerous times, mostly when answering her questions about my past.  
  
"What did he want?" She questioned. I motioned her to the kitchen and showed her the letter. She read it quickly, then smiled.  
  
"That was nice of him. You should respond. It's obvious that he wants to know how you're doing." He informed me. I raised an eyebrow.  
  
"How do you know?"  
  
"The tone of the letter. I think he really wants to know." She answered, putting down the letter. I saw her eyes widen as she spotted Potter's owl.  
  
"What a gorgeous bird!" She cried, holding out her hand towards the animal. Hedwig (I think that was the owl's name), allowed Kaitlynn to pet her gently.  
  
"You should write back." She repeated, looking at me. I looked helplessly at the letter, then back at her.  
  
"What do I say?"  
  
"Anything. Tell him how you're doing. Tell him about Nora and the kittens. Tell him about your job, your friends.....me." She added teasingly. I managed to grin.  
  
"I might just do that."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Later that night, after Kaitlynn had left, I responded. Potter's owl was still resting in the kitchen, so I figured that I might as well. (I had un- formally given my eagle-owl to my sister before I left, so I couldn't use him.)  
  
//Harry:  
  
I don't know why you wrote, either. But.....thank you. I appreciate being updated on what's going on over there.  
  
You may not know it, but your bird (Hedwig's her name, correct?) had to fly clear to America to deliver that letter. She's one tough bird, let me tell you.  
  
Yes, I'm living in America. I work at the AMM (American Ministry of Magic), in the financial department. I have found a comfortable wizarding condo to stay in, and I have gained a family of four cats who live with me as well.  
  
I'll admit, I have found the muggles here to be quite.....decent. My condo is in a muggle neighborhood, so there is no avoiding contact with them, no matter how 'Malfoy' I am.  
  
So there you have it. My life as of yet. I hope you're satisfied.  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Draco//  
  
I might have been willing to tell Potter about my life, but I was *not* going to tell him about being close friends with a muggle woman. That was my little secret.....for now, at least.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"He wrote again?" Stephen asked two months later, as he leaned over my shoulder at work. I had been promoted to his level in the department, and now had two people working under me.  
  
"Yes. He wants to keep me updated on the news from there." I muttered, quickly reading through Potter's latest letter. It was short and to the point, but it fulfilled my desire to know what was going on.  
  
"Are you going to write him back?" He asked, a teasing note in his voice. I glared at him and folded the parchment back up, placing it in my pocket.  
  
"Don't I always?"  
  
"Yup. So, have you got any plans for tonight?"  
  
"Actually, I do. I invited Kaitlynn over for dinner and a movie." I informed him, putting my things away and getting ready to go. Stephen shot me a sly look.  
  
"Why don't you just ask her out, already?! I mean, you two are practically a couple anyway." He said, leering at me as he leaned back in his chair with his arms folded. I looked up, startled, and then realized just how correct his statement had been. Over the Christmas holidays, I had spent the majority of my time either at her house, or at Stephen's with the rest of their family. I had found a strange and comforting acceptance among them, and grew to like being in their company.  
  
After the hols, I began to spend even more time with her, taking long walks on the beach and spending my weekends in her company. I got a strange thrill out of going shopping with her, especially because she tended to window-shop more than actually going into the shops and looking around. I admit, I appreciated this highly! I suppose that I became so unconsciously used to having her around, that I never actually realized that I was practically dating her anyway.....  
  
"This is uncomfortable." I mumbled, as I slumped back into my seat. He laughed.  
  
"Yeah. A Malfoy falling for a muggle. Admit it, man. You're in deep." He chuckled, his eyes twinkling. I groaned and buried my head in my hands.  
  
"Do you think that she'd actually accept me?" I finally asked, my voice muffled by my hands. He smiled.  
  
"Hell yeah. I get the feeling that she's been waiting for you to ask for some time now. Go for it, boy. You've got my blessing, and I'm sure that Rachael won't mind." He crowed, slapping me on the shoulder. I groaned silently and shook my head, standing up.  
  
What had I gotten myself into?!?!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
That night, I found myself sitting on the couch in my living room, watching 'Pride and Prejudice', with Kaitlynn. She was the one who had brought over the movie, and had insisted that I would like it. Granted, the characters were portrayed well, and the story line was believable, but the underlining stupidity of the younger sisters got to me after a while.  
  
Nora and her kittens (who were now about eight months old), were sleeping peacefully near the end of the couch, except for Ebony, who had taken to sleeping on Kaitlynn's lap. Ebony had taken to Kate vary quickly despite her normally detached attitude. Several times over the past few months I had thought about just letting Kaitlynn take Ebony home with her, but then I would reconsider. I didn't think it was right to separate the kitten from her family.  
  
"Ooh-ooh-ooh! This is one of my favorite parts!" Kaitlynn giggled, sitting up straighter and clapping her hands. I turned my eyes from staring at her, back to the screen. On it, Miss Elizabeth Bennet had just agreed to her aunt's proposal to take a tour of Pemberley, Mr. Darcy's estate. I had to admit, the grounds were impressive.....almost as impressive as the Malfoy estate, although, not so full of evil.  
  
"That looks like my old home....." I muttered softly, feeling a wave of strange nostalgia wash over me. Sure, I hated the place because of what it represented to me, but at the same time, it was the place that I had grown up in.....  
  
"It does?" Kaitlynn asked unbelievingly, with a raised eyebrow. I shook himself out of my thoughts, unaware that I had spoken loud enough for her to hear. She had paused the movie, and turned to stare at me. I sighed.  
  
"Well, my home was more of an old castle, but the grounds were similar to those." I pointed at the screen, where a picture of Pemberley Manor was frozen. Kaitlynn's mouth dropped open.  
  
"Just how rich were you?!" She asked sarcastically. I winced. So far, I had avoided talking about the subject of his home with her, but now was the time.  
  
"You mean, 'just how rich *am* I'." I stated, turning towards her. Her eyes widened even more.  
  
"What?" Her voice was slightly shaky. I sighed.  
  
"After my father died and my mum got sent to St. Mungo's (she went insane, you know), I inherited the manor and all the money that belonged to my family. I could even access it here, if I wanted to, but I'd rather try and live on my own money for a while, just to see if I can."  
  
"You're rich, and you never told me? You live in this two-bedroom condo when you could be sleeping in a richly furnished *palace*?!" Her voice was a near shriek. I grinned, unable to help myself.  
  
"Do I look like I want a palace?" I asked slyly, raising an eyebrow. She glared at me.  
  
"Well.....no....."  
  
"I'm content here. I have a great house, a good job, four warm and cuddly house-mates, friends, you....." I trailed off there, unable to think of what to say next. A smile appeared on her lips.  
  
"Oh? I'm not a friend?" She asked teasingly, tilting her head. My face became serious, and I realized that this was the moment I had been waiting for.  
  
"You are more than just a friend. You pulled me out of something that could have devoured me. You saved me from becoming like the other Malfoys. You showed me a way to let go of my past. I will never be able to thank you enough for that. Now do you see why you mean so much more to me?" I asked quietly, though nervously. I watched as a blush rose to her cheeks and she looked down at her lap.  
  
"Really Draco?"  
  
"Really." My voice was no more than a whisper. Her eyes returned to mine, and I saw that they were twinkling with.....something. Something that drew me in and made me forget myself. Something that made my entire mind spin and my body lean towards her.  
  
The kiss was something that I will never forget. Soft, warm, perfect. Not too long, not too short, just right. And it was with her. Sure, I've kissed girls before, but nothing compared to this. This was perfect. This was RIGHT! And it was at this moment, that the most frightening and wonderful thought entered my head and stayed there.  
  
I was in love.  
  
She pulled away, and looked at me, head cocked slightly.  
  
"That was nice." Was all my muddled brain allowed my mouth to say. She giggled lightly.  
  
"It was." She murmured, her blue eyes boring into my blue-grey ones. I struggled to find the words that I wanted to say, but nothing came to mind.....luckily, she seemed to sense my dilemma, and stayed silent.  
  
"Kaitlynn.....will you.....will you be my girl?" I finally asked, feeling entirely stupid. And I mean, my entire body tingled with how stupid I felt. Then I saw her smile.  
  
"'My girl'. I like the sound of that." She murmured, moving closer, her eyes sparkling at me. As she spoke those words, I felt a delight unlike any I had ever felt before, enter my body.....and my heart.  
  
"My girl." I murmured, putting my arms around her. She grinned and rested her head on my shoulder.  
  
"Your girl."  
  
With that, she pushed the 'play' button on the remote, and the movie continued. And for the first time since it had started, I honestly enjoyed the entire thing. And I realized something.  
  
That Darcy was a pretty great guy!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"I can't believe that you finally made your move! About time, buddy!" Stephen crowed, as he bounded into the office the next morning and slapped me on the back. I shot him a glare, but it melted into a grin. I hadn't been able to find a single reason to get mad at anyone this morning, for some odd reason.....  
  
"How did you know?"  
  
"Rachael came upstairs screaming last night. I thought she was being killed, but she just bounced on top of me and started to shriek about how her cousin was finally dating. When I finally managed to calm her down, she told me that Kaitlynn had called her, telling her that she was dating you." Stephen laughed, as I unsuccessfully tried to suppress another grin.  
  
"So what happened? How'd you do it?" Stephen asked. I rolled my eyes, but his eagerness got the best of me.  
  
"We were watching 'Pride and Prejudice'....."  
  
"What?!?!"  
  
"Her idea. Anyway, we got to the part where Elizabeth Bennet has just spotted Pemberley, when I began to think about how much it reminded me of home. I must have said something, because she paused the movie and then we got into this big discussion on how rich I was."  
  
This caused Stephen to snort, and I grinned again.  
  
"Well, we talked a little more, then we kissed, then I asked her out, end of story." I finished, not wanting to share *those* details with him. Stephen shot me a funny look, but didn't ask any questions.  
  
"Well, at least you finally asked her. You'd better be good to her, too, now that you have her, or I'll....." He trailed off threateningly, and I gulped a bit. He could be scary when he wanted to!  
  
"I won't. I.....I love her, Stephen. I really do." I muttered. I watched his eyes widen and his mouth fall open.  
  
"Now that, I didn't expect." He stated numbly, still staring. I smiled slightly. To tell the truth, it wasn't exactly what I had expected to say, either. But if the shoe fits.....  
  
"I have one piece of advice, Malfoy. Don't let her go." Stephen murmured, before standing up and wandering to his own desk. I watched after him, my smile widening.  
  
I was planning on taking that advice. I wasn't going to let her go, no matter what I had to sacrifice in the process.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	5. Down with dirt

To Be A Malfoy  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 4.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
Now, I've been surprised plenty of times in my life, but that day, four weeks after I started to date Kaitlynn, was the clincher.  
  
I had just gotten home from a long day of work, and was looking forward to collapsing onto my bed and not getting up until the weekend was over. Of course, I would get up for the date I had planned with Kate that night.....but that was it! Or so I thought.  
  
"I'm home!" I shouted as I opened the condo door. My answer was four affectionate 'meow's'. I grinned at my own foolishness and quickly set to work getting ready for my date. So much for rest. Kaitlynn and I were going to a beach-side restaurant for dinner, and since I had not yet gotten around to getting a car, my wonderful girlfriend had offered to drive me in hers (I was still trying to figure out what a 'drivers-license' was).  
  
When the door-bell rang forty-five minutes before the appointed time, I admit that I was more than relieved to have gotten ready early. But as I opened the door, it was not Kaitlynn's face that I saw.  
  
"POTTER?!?!"  
  
Harry Potter's face broke into a grin and his eyes twinkled mischievously at me.  
  
"Hello. I was in the neighborhood and decided to stop by and pay a visit." He commented, looking quite pleased with the fact that the 'great' Draco Malfoy had become so shocked by his arrival.  
  
"Oh, really? Since when have you taken time out of your busy schedule to visit a Malfoy?" I asked, raising an eyebrow. He chuckled.  
  
"Actually, I had some business to go over with the Salem Academy Headmaster, so I decided to drop by on my way home. I wanted to see how you were truly doing, because I didn't trust your letters." He said, a bit teasingly. This got me to smile. Somehow, everything from our pasts seemed to melt away and there was only then and there. Grudges and hatred no longer stood between us.  
  
"Why don't you see for yourself?" I motioned him inside. When he entered, Tigger immediately stalked up to him, sniffing the air as if to determine whether Harry was worthy of entering our home. Then, when Harry leaned down and extended a hand for the cat to smell, he rolled over in a silent demand for a tummy-rub. Harry laughed and looked up at me.  
  
"I didn't know you had a cat." He muttered, rubbing the tom's stomach. I grinned.  
  
"I don't. I have four." I answered, motioning to the living-room doorway where Nora and Ellie stood, staring questioningly at him, while Ebony hid timidly behind them.  
  
"Four? YOU? With four cats?" He asked incredulously. I chuckled and bent down to pick up Ebony, who snuggled into my arms willingly, keeping her alert yellow-green eyes on Harry. When he reached over to pet her, she stiffened, then relaxed as she realized that he wasn't going to hurt her.  
  
"She's small." He murmured. I nodded.  
  
"Ebony's the runt of the litter. She never got very big, unlike her brother and sister." I commented thoughtfully, sitting down on a chair and motioning for him to do the same.  
  
"So, how's Hogwarts?" I asked, still stroking the animal in my arms.  
  
"Fine. Hagrid's still keeping the grounds, though his attention is stolen easier these days, by his wife and son." Harry laughed at this. He had told me in a letter that Hagrid and the headmaster of Beuxbatons had gotten married just before the final war started, but had kept it a secret for safety reasons.  
  
"And all the new teachers are doing well. Hermione's looking forward to teaching, Neville loves his job, as does Ron. Your sister's wedding is next month....." He trailed off here, his smile fading. My face must have reflected the hurt I was feeling. Sure, I hadn't expected her to invite *me* to her wedding.....but in a small part of my heart.....I had hoped that she would.  
  
"I'm sorry, Draco....."  
  
"It's alright. I wish her well, though. And I hope that she has a good life." I murmured, turning my attention back to Ebony, who was purring on my lap. After that, we got into more cheerful conversation, when he asked me about my life here. But in my excitement of telling him about my latest promotion, I completely forgot to mention Kaitlynn. That is until.....  
  
*DING-DONG*  
  
I froze in telling him about Stephen, and choked. Kaitlynn!  
  
"Wait here!" I stated, before rushing for the door. This time, it was her cheerful face that greeted me, and I felt everything rush away. Her long auburn hair was pulled up into a french-braid, and she was wearing a casual black skirt and light blue sweater-set.  
  
"Hi! Ready to go?" She questioned, stepping inside. I smiled and shook my head slightly.  
  
"Come here. There's someone I want you to meet." I murmured, pulling her into the living room. Harry stood up when we entered, his face surprised.  
  
"Kitten, this is Harry Potter. Harry, this is Kaitlynn Ross, my girlfriend." I introduced. Harry's mouth dropped even more. It was evident that he had already realized that she was not of our kind. Kaitlynn's face, however, beamed into a smile.  
  
"Oh! It's nice to meet you. Draco's told me so much about you." She murmured, putting out her hand. Harry shook it, still looking dazed. Then Kaitlynn shot me a dazzling smile, and a look that said, 'we'll talk later'.  
  
"Well, why don't I wait outside while you two say goodbye?" She suggested aloud, looking back and forth between us. We both nodded and she left the room, stroking Nora on her way out.  
  
"She's a muggle, Malfoy." Harry finally managed, in a slightly icy voice. I winced.  
  
"I am quite aware of that, *Potter*." I retorted.  
  
"Does she know about you? Does she know about your past?"  
  
"Yes. And she's forgiven me, though I don't deserve it. I love her, Harry, and nothing is going to end that. Not my past, not my being a wizard, *nothing*." I said, emphasizing every word of the last sentence. Harry's face lightened.  
  
"Don't hurt her, Draco." He warned me. I grinned, happy that he had let it go.  
  
"I won't. She means everything to me." I muttered, slightly blushing about saying that aloud. It was his turn to grin.  
  
"Good. Well, have a good night, Drake. Sorry for interrupting. I'll write you tomorrow to tell you that I've arrived home safely." He called, walking for the door. This time, I stopped him.  
  
"Wait! You're engaged to Ginny Weasley, right? When's the wedding?" I asked. His face lit up.  
  
"Next month." He murmured, before going out the front door. I grinned.  
  
Life sure is filled with surprises.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
***A YEAR LATER***  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
//Mr. Harry J. Potter:  
  
You are formally invited to the wedding of Mr. Draco Orion Malfoy and Miss Kaitlynn Anne Ross.  
  
It will take place on the: 14th of April.  
  
A small reception will be held afterwards, by the bride's parents. Presents are not necessary.  
  
Thank you for your kindness.//  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
//Dear Harry:  
  
You have probably gotten the invitation by now, and I know that your mouth is hanging wide open in surprise. But it's true. I managed to get up enough courage to ask her, and she said 'Yes'!!!  
  
Please come. I would really appreciate it, and I need someone to support me on my side of the whole wedding-thing. Sure, Stephen is my best man, but I still need someone besides him.  
  
So come. We'll be expecting you!  
  
Sincerely,  
  
Draco//  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
//Draco:  
  
You are the biggest prat in the entire universe, you know that? First, you decide to fall in love with a muggle, then you decided to marry her! What next? Kids?  
  
Just kidding.  
  
I congratulate you. From what I have seen, Kaitlynn is a perfect match for you. She'll keep you on a short leash, but she'll allow you some freedom.....who am I kidding?! You're whipped, man! She's got you wrapped around her pinky-finger! Hahaha! A Malfoy is finally brought down by the forces of.....women! Join the club, brother!  
  
Anyway, I would be happy to come. Granted, I'd have to make up a pretty good excuse to tell my lovely wife (I still can't believe she married me!), but I should be able to come.  
  
Congratulations again, and I wish you well.  
  
~Harry//  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"What did he say?" Kaitlynn asked me later that night, after I had mentioned that Harry sent me a response. I chuckled.  
  
"He was shocked, but congratulated us. He also said he would come." I informed her, holding her close. She snuggled closer to me, tilting her head so she could see my face. We were reclining on my couch, with her back against my chest.  
  
"I'm glad, then. At least someone trusts you enough to give you another chance." She murmured, smiling up at me in that melting way of hers. I felt my mind fuzz up a bit, and smiled foolishly down at her.  
  
"Yeah." I muttered, unable to say anything else. I noticed that her smile became slightly sly, and before I knew it, she had stolen the TV remote from my hand and was flipping to a different channel. I stared at her, stupefied for a moment, then grinned.  
  
"I've been had!" I chuckled, not really minding at all as the TV began to show images of 'America's Funniest Home Videos'. She giggled and snuggled even closer to me, if that was possible. I felt so secure and happy with her, like nothing bad had ever happened in my past. It was an amazing feeling, and I loved every moment of it.  
  
"Draco?"  
  
"Uh-huh."  
  
"I think I know what I want to do for our honeymoon." She whispered, her voice serious. I entered reality with a *splat*, and stared at her dumbly.  
  
"What?"  
  
"Our honeymoon. I know where I want to go."  
  
"Where?"  
  
"Malfoy Manor." She whispered. My breath caught and my heart gave a painful jerk.  
  
"Why there?" I asked in a strangled voice.  
  
"I want to clean it up. It is yours, despite your determination to stay away, and I think we should at least spend one time there." She murmured. I winced.  
  
"But our wedding night? Our honeymoon? Love, you won't like it. Malfoy Manor is an evil place, filled with evil things and evil memories." I tried to reason. I swear my voice shook while I said these words. I felt a strange terror enter me, at the thought of returning to the place that held so many bad memories for me.  
  
"Draco, listen to me." She whispered, turning off the TV and sitting up. The loss of her warmth hit me like a train, and I felt even more terror well up in me. She turned to face me, and sat cross-legged across from me.  
  
"We could clean it up. We could even start now, if you wanted to. We could take out all the evil objects. You could use magic to renovate the rooms. We could fill the bad memories with happy ones. We could redeem Malfoy Manor to the glory it deserves." Her voice was strong and lilting. Just listening to it made me want to jump up and do just what she was saying. Slowly, my terror ebbed away and a new hope filled me.  
  
"You really think we could?" I asked, if not a bit nervously. She smiled at me and took my hands in hers, a hard task, considering how small her hands were!  
  
"I do. Together, we can do anything." She murmured. I felt a smile begin to creep across my face.  
  
"Then we'll start this Saturday. I'll schedule us for the eleven 'o' clock apparation room." I murmured. Suddenly, her eyes lit up.  
  
"Apparation room? I am going to apperate?" She asked. I smiled.  
  
"In a way. You have to stand in the apparation room, then wait for a red light to go off over the door. When it does, you leave the room, and you're at your destination. As easy as that. It's not very exciting." I informed her. Her eyes glowed.  
  
"It's a wizarding contraption. Of course it's exciting!" She squealed, hugging me tightly. I laughed, and reveled in the feeling of her arms around me.  
  
"Saturday, love. Saturday." I murmured, closing my eyes and forgetting everything but her and her alone.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
And sure enough, that Saturday, I found myself walking down the familiar lane towards the remote grounds of Malfoy Manor. Because of the colossal extent of the grounds, there was not another home for miles upon miles, and we were alone. But to my relief, Kaitlynn didn't seem to mind.  
  
"Are these your lands too?!" She exclaimed, looking overwhelmed and thrilled at the same time.  
  
"Yes. All of this is Malfoy Manor." I murmured, staring somewhat dolefully at the forest of trees to my right. We had decided not to draw attention to ourselves by ordering a car to come and pick us up, so we were walking with our luggage tucked under our arms and stuffed in our hands. But we soon came to the huge, black wrought-iron gates that were encrusted with two M's. They silently swung open on my whispered command, and we continued through, passing more forest as we went.  
  
"OH! OH!" Kaitlynn exclaimed, her eyes glowing. They had just taken a turn in the path, and exited the forest. Now, a huge expanse of water lay to our right--a lake--while the rest seemed to be moor-land. And directly across the lake stood.....  
  
Malfoy Manor. Vast, old, dangerous. It's turrets reached threateningly towards the sky, and it's grey stone seemed to gleam menacingly at them. For a moment, Kaitlynn seemed to shrink against me for comfort, then she straightened, her face resolved.  
  
"It has potential." She murmured, her eyes twinkling at me, as if to assure me that she wasn't frightened. I grinned down at her.  
  
"Good." With this, we walked up to my old home in silence, both of us lost in thought. As we neared the huge mahogany front doors, my nervousness returned, as I remembered the things this place reminded me of. I shuddered off the mist that was entering my brain, and led my fiancee up onto the verandah. Taking an ancient key out of my pocket, I placed it in the lock and allowed the door to swing open in front of me.  
  
A dark and musty hallway met our eyes. I quickly walked in, afraid that if I didn't, I never would. I walked until I reached where the hallway opened into the main entrance hall. It was actually two open floors, and eerie blue-ish light drifted down from every side-hall on the second level. I could feel Kaitlynn move up behind me, looking around in awe. We stood there a while, simply taking in our surroundings. It was still too dim to see much of anything, but a few finely carved walls nearby, and the white marble floor below our feet.  
  
"Who is being there?!" A voice suddenly called out to our left. Kaitlynn jumped and shrieked softly, while I let out a shocked moan. A small figure moved cautiously out of the shadows, and I recognized it as one of mother's old house elves. It was a female, who had taken care of her throughout her life.  
  
"Shival?" I asked gently, trying not to frighten her. But I saw her eyes widen anyway.  
  
"Master Draco? Master Draco! You is home!" The little thing gasped. I couldn't tell if her voice held horror, relief, disbelief, or something else. Whatever it was, it disappeared the moment she said it. Kaitlynn stepped out from behind me, her eyes wide.  
  
"Draco, wha.....*who* is that?" She asked nervously. I grinned.  
  
"Kitten, love, this is Shival, one of the many Malfoy house-elves. Shival, this is my fiancee Kaitlynn." I introduced. Kaitlynn looked at the tiny creature with growing delight. I could see that she was thrilled with the idea of meeting her first magical creature (besides that owls, of course). Shival, however, was not so sure.  
  
"She is not being a witch." She said flatly, staring up at us. Our eyes were becoming accustomed to the light, so I could make out her huge, worried, brown eyes.  
  
"No, Shival, she's not." I said just as flatly, to show her that there was no longer any room for comment. The little house-elf looked at me for a moment, her eyes revealing nothing, then she nodded.  
  
"We is being happy that you are home." She murmured, motioning to the hallway from which she had come from. Several other house-elves were now grouped there, staring at us. They had had such freedom for so long, that I was unsure whether they truly would be willing to work, but my fears were soon extinguished.  
  
"Tomby is willing to be taking your bags upstairs, sir." Another house elf, this one male, stepped forward. Several others followed after him uncertainly, and picked up the luggage that we had dropped. I was still a bit in shock from being back inside my old home, so it took Kaitlynn poking me three times to get me out of my reverie.  
  
"Come on. Shival's going to show us to our rooms." She murmured, taking my arm comfortingly. I knew for a fact that since I was older, Shival would not think of putting me back in the room I had called my own while living here. Instead, she lead us up a different flight of stairs, to a wing that I had previously been forbidden to enter when I lived here.  
  
"We has been cleaning up here, Master Draco. We has a few rooms done. Shival is sorry she can do no more for you and Mistress....."  
  
"No need, Shival. I'm sure anything you did will be fine." I tried to comfort her, before I realized that the house-elves were probably not yet used to the 'new' me. I saw her wide brown eyes turn to me in shock, and then an almost-smile came to her lips.  
  
"Shival is thanking Master Draco for his kindness." She whispered, before leading us down another hall. I noticed that this one, unlike the others, was well lit with bright, globe oil-lamps. The mahogany walls were cleaner, and their carved surfaces seemed a bit less menacing than the ones downstairs. The deep velvety carpets beneath our feet were decorated with oriental designs and colors.  
  
"Your rooms is being here, Master Draco. Mistress's rooms is being across the hall." Shival informed us, her eyes watching me closely. I began to get the distinct feeling that I was under heavy scrutiny by not only her, but the entirety of the house-elf population. Shaking off the uncomfortable feelings, I gazed at my surroundings.  
  
I was standing in front of a pair of large mahogany doors, inlaid with a intricate design that seemed quite fitting. Pushing down the handle, I prodded one of the doors open gingerly. To my surprise, a wave of warm orange-yellow light spilled out of the room, enticing me to open it further. When I did, I felt all my nervousness go out the window. Shival had indeed fixed this room up.  
  
It was a large room, with inlaid mahogany walls, and dark, cherry-wood furniture. The bed was a king-sized four-poster, hung with heavy velvet curtains of the darkest green, and bedclothes of the same color. There was a fireplace and a small sitting area to the right of the bed, closest to the door, and a huge mahogany desk to the right of it. The carpet in here was a continuation of that in the hallway, and the hangings on the wall also seemed to be of the oriental kind. The wall farthest from where I stood, seemed to be made of entirely of windows. They were open, allowing the afternoon sunlight to come pouring into the chamber.  
  
"Oh, Draco! It's lovely!" Kaitlynn gasped, her eyes wide. Behind her, I could see Shival standing with a satisfied air about her.  
  
"If my room is as lovely as this, I won't know what to do. I've never even been in a house this large, before!" She whispered, looking slightly frightened. I grinned and slipped my arm around her, ignoring the fact that the house-elf was now sneaking away.  
  
"Only the best for my Kitten." I whispered into her ear, before going with her to investigate her room.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
The work on Malfoy Manor when surprisingly smoothly, save for the few instances where I came across some horrible thing that my parents had kept for some reason. I had banished every evil and bad book from the house with a handy little spell I learned once in Flitwick's class, and got rid of everything from the hidden rooms my father had successfully kept a secret from the many ministry officials who had entered this house. Some of the rooms were in desperate need of refurbishing, mostly because they had been ignored and abandoned by my parents.  
  
The cleaning took time, and we only had the weekend, but during that time Kaitlynn and I made yet another breakthrough with the house, this time, with the other inhabitants. Many of the house-elves had been treated.....less than humanly by my father, something I was determined not to do. Luckily, the creatures seemed to accept my blundering attempts at making them feel equal in my presence, and they endured me cheerfully.  
  
But it was Kaitlynn, who really won their hearts. With her open questions about their lives and home, and her laughter, she managed to make friends with every house-elf in the place. They seemed to enjoy a Mistress who talked to them like they were actually living things, and laughed so brightly that it made the sun seem to shine even more. By the end of our stay, they were all wrapped around her little finger, and seemed to enjoy it there!  
  
We had decided not to leave for the apparation room until late that night, so we gladly sat down to a huge departing meal that the house-elves made for us. After a hard days work, I couldn't have been more grateful for house-elves at that moment.  
  
"Well, it's not completely done, but it's on it's way to being there." I murmured after I had filled my stomach a little. Kaitlynn looked up from her meal, and then raised her eyes to gaze around the room. Then she smiled.  
  
"It is. I am beginning to love it here, Dragon, I really am. The grounds are so lovely....." She trailed off, smiling. I grinned, happy that I had pleased her.  
  
"We could come up for holidays, perhaps. Christmas, Thanksgiving.....although, they don't have thanksgiving here....." I reminded her. She nodded.  
  
"I would like that. It needs some people in it. That's what it's missing." She whispered, looking around. I couldn't help but chuckle. She was right. It was starting to need some people in it. And that would happen soon enough. But until then, this old house would have to wait.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Oh, that's romantic, Malfoy. Take her to the old manor, why don't you!" Stephen teased when I came into work on Monday. I shot him a glare, and sat down at my desk. I hadn't gotten much sleep the night before, so I wasn't in the mood for wise-cracks.  
  
"That's enough, McKay." I muttered. He grinned, but shut up. But minutes later, an owl came flying in the window, landing on my desk. With a groan, I reached over, untied the parchment attached to it's leg, and then petted it. It looked like another one of Hogwarts owls, so it didn't take a genius to know that the letter was from Harry.  
  
//Drake:  
  
I have it on good authority, namely Dobby the house-elf, that you were here over the weekend, cleaning up the manor. Apparently, Dobby has some friends there who were more than willing to talk, even though they are *supposed* to be loyal to their families.....  
  
(I laughed here, then read on.)  
  
Anyway, why didn't you tell me you were coming?! I would have come over to help a bit. But it all comes to the same thing. Dobby told me that you gave the house-elves some new vigor, and they are now cleaning the house twice as fast as they had been. They are almost done, according to my little spy- friend.  
  
So that little fiancee of yours came too, huh? From what I hear, she is a much exulted mistress already. Good luck on keeping your secrets, though. It seems that these elves have gained some backbones in the absence of their previous master and mistress.  
  
Well, I've got to go. Ginny's family invited us over for dinner, and I can't refuse one of Molly Weasley's meals!  
  
~Harry//  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	6. Wonder wedding

Daphne: This chapter is short, but sweet. I hope you like it! Please R&R!!!!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
To Be A Malfoy  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 5.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
I stood nervously in front of the mirror, straightening my tie for the umpteenth time that morning. I was wearing a black muggle tuxedo, and I was beginning to hate it. But just for today, I would deal with it. Why, you ask?  
  
Because I'm getting married.  
  
To the love of my life.  
  
In less than twenty minutes.  
  
"Draco, calm down." Harry murmured comfortingly, putting a hand on my shoulder. In the mirror, I could see Stephen rolling his eyes behind me. I felt a familiar snide remark enter my throat.  
  
"What, and you weren't nervous on your wedding day?" I asked sarcastically. Both men lost their smiles and blushed a little, causing me to grin.  
  
"I take that back. Panic all you want." Stephen called, patting me on the back. I rolled my eyes at him, this time.  
  
"That's so reassuring, oh-future-cousin-in-law." I snapped back, turning back to look at myself one last time.  
  
This was it.  
  
"Draco, it's time." Harry murmured, putting a hand on my shoulder. I felt my nervousness increase tenfold, as I turned around and nodded.  
  
Moments later, I was at the head of the church, standing beside the preacher with Stephen on my other side. Rachael was coming slowly up the isle, her cloud-blue dress setting off her black hair perfectly. She winked at me slowly, then turned to stare up at Stephen. I felt my tie become tighter around my neck as I began to sweat.  
  
Then she was there.  
  
She stood for a moment, in the doorway, leaning on her father's arm. Her white dress clung to her upper body lovingly, then flowed outwards at the skirt and fell to the floor in a long train. Her cloudy-white veil was pulled over her face, but I could have sworn that I saw her blue eyes gazing up at me as she walked down the isle towards us. Her father was shooting me proud looks, and I realized that I had finally been accepted by the man who would be my father-in-law. Thank the Lord!  
  
When they reached the end of the isle, she leaned over and kissed him, then allowed her father to place her hand in mine.  
  
This was it.  
  
This was the time.  
  
My past was forever behind me.  
  
My future was standing beside me.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"GOODBYE!"  
  
"Congratulations!"  
  
"Have a good time!"  
  
"I love you, honey!"  
  
"Write lots!"  
  
"Bye, Malfoy! Take care of her!"  
  
"Bye Draco!"  
  
These last words, said by Harry Potter himself, stayed in my mind as the limo pulled away from the curb. It was all a blur, what had just happened. I was now a married man. And to a muggle woman, at that! A wonderful, amazing, woman who loved me for who I was, and not for who I had been. God, I loved her!  
  
"Draco?" Came my Kaitlynn's soft voice, as her white-gloved hand covered mine. I tore myself away from my thoughts, and placed my other hand over hers, smiling down at her.  
  
"What, love?"  
  
"You seem miles away. What are you thinking about?" She asked gently, her eyes boring into mine. I smiled, taking her all in. We were still in our wedding garb, and that pesky veil still draped down from her hair, making her look even more angelic. I stared at her for a few moments, before answering.  
  
"You."  
  
She smiled, and rested her head on my shoulder.  
  
"I love you, Dragon. Don't you ever forget that. I'll love you forever." She whispered, looking up into my face. I smiled, pulling her closer to me.  
  
"Forever seems too short." Was all I could say. She laughed softly and looked out the window at the passing scenery.  
  
"Draco.....have you ever thought about....." She trailed off, her voice wavering slightly. I frowned, hoping that I hadn't upset her.  
  
"Thought about what, love?"  
  
"About children. Do you ever want any?" She asked sweetly, gazing anxiously into my face. Her question surprised me, then I willed myself to relax and think it over.  
  
"Why do you ask?"  
  
"You once told me that you didn't want children, at least, after your experiences." She whispered, her face looking desperate. I felt a slight panic fill me, but then the image of me holding a tiny bundle of blankets filled my mind. My heart calmed and I felt my head clear. Perhaps.....I did.....  
  
"I think I would like to, someday. It would take a lot of adjustment, but I think I could handle it." I said teasingly. Her face lit up.  
  
"How many?" She asked, smiling brightly. I raised an eyebrow.  
  
"How many do you want?"  
  
"At least four." Was her answer. I nearly fell out of my seat.  
  
"Three, at max!" I laughed, feeling my heart lighten even more. She giggled.  
  
"Nope. Four. Or five.....maybe even six....."  
  
I stopped her words with a kiss that lasted the rest of the way to the Apparation building.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	7. Baby Boomers

Daphne: Alright, people! This is the second-to-last chapter! Next time will be the epilogue! And then I'll go right into putting up the sequel to "The Phoenix's Prophecy". I hope you've enjoyed the story, and I thank everyone who has reviewed! I really appreciate them!  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
To Be A Malfoy  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Chapter 6.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
***ONE YEAR LATER***  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
"Draco, darling? Are you home?"  
  
I grinned as my wife of one year called up the stairs of our two-story house. After two months of living together in the condo, I had decided that my wife deserved better than a one bedroom, one bathroom house. So, taking the money I had saved from my job at the AMM, I surprised her by buying a two-story home along the very beach that we had met on almost three years ago.  
  
"Up here, in my study." I called down, not wanting to leave the comfort of my red-velvet high-backed chair. I heard her soft footsteps on the stairs, then her cheerful face peeked in the door. Her face was shinning more brightly than usual, and her eyes were starry. Smiling slightly, I put down the book I had been reading and then turned my attention to her.  
  
"How was work?" She asked, coming over to me. I grinned and with a quick movement, put my arms around her waist and pulled her down into my lap. She giggled and kissed my forehead, something she knew I loved.  
  
"All right. Stephen's disgruntled that I have been promoted to Manager of the office, but he's only just below me, so I don't see the problem." I sighed. She grinned.  
  
"Yes, but just a few years ago, he was your boss. Now, you are his. I suppose he feels like he's being gypped." She informed me. I raised an eyebrow, and then rested my chin on her head, taking in her flowery scent. She snuggled closer to me, and then sighed contentedly.  
  
"Dragon, may I ask you a very strange question?" She asked suddenly, lifting her head so she could see my face.  
  
"Of course, love." I murmured, kissing her lips chastely. She smiled.  
  
"Do you remember that conversation we had, on our honeymoon?"  
  
"Yes. How could I forget?" I teased. She laughed slightly.  
  
"Well, if we were to have a baby, what would you like? A boy or a girl?" She asked, her eyes roving my face. I thought about it for a minute, then smiled. After all this time, my thoughts about children had softened a lot, especially after Stephen and Rachel had had their first child, a boy named Caleb. I have to admit, that I had become quite attached to the quiet little boy.....  
  
"A boy. Then, if we had any other children, he could protect them when I couldn't." I finally answered. She smiled.  
  
"When do you want to start trying?" She asked, her voice holding a strange amount of laughter. I frowned, wondering what she was getting at.  
  
"Well, how about now?" I responded, pulling her closer. Her eyes flickered with a mischievousness that caused me to squirm in my seat.  
  
"How about in nine to ten months?" She suggested. I felt my eagerness fade slightly.  
  
"Why that long?" I questioned, hoping my voice didn't show the confusion I was feeling. At this, she burst out laughing, her long auburn hair falling into her face. I brushed a strand back and stared into her eyes.  
  
"Oh, Dragon! Don't you get it? We can't try having a baby when there's already one there!" She informed me gleefully. I stared at her, bemused, until the words that she had just spoken hit my brain like an icicle.  
  
"Baby? We're having a baby? You're pregnant?!" My voice rose with every word, and my excitement did as well. She nodded, barely able to suppress the happiness she was feeling. My mind whirled, as I tried to take in everything that she had just told me.  
  
A baby.  
  
She was pregnant.  
  
A Baby.  
  
Another life right here in this room with us.  
  
A BABY!!!  
  
I was going to be a father!!!  
  
"OH MY GOD!" I shouted, jumping up from my chair with her in my arms, and swinging her around. Then, it hit me that that might not be the best idea, so I put my wife down and hugged her tightly. Her laughter was near to tears now, and I heard them welling up in her voice as she spoke next.  
  
"Are you happy?" She asked quietly, her voice no higher than a whisper. I pulled away and stared down at her in disbelief.  
  
"Happy? HAPPY?! Of course I'm happy! This is one of the best days of my life! I'm going to be a father! A father!" I yelped, my eyes wide. She sniffled and smiled up at me, her eyes shinning.  
  
"You don't regret it?" She asked hesitantly. I grinned.  
  
"Do I look like I regret it, honey?" I asked, finally coming to my senses and sitting back down, pulling her with me. When we were settled back on the chair, I looked into her eyes and put my forehead against hers.  
  
"How far along are you? When did you find out?" I asked. She had also calmed down a bit, and managed to answer me in a level voice.  
  
"Just today. I mean, I had my suspicions, but I haven't had morning sickness, so I just thought I was wrong. Oh, and I'm about a month along. That's where I was just now. I went to the doctor to confirm it." She murmured.  
  
I don't know why, but I put a hand on her stomach, marveling over the fact that at that very moment, there was a tiny life inside her, made from the love we had. And I knew at that moment, that I would love this child as my father had never loved me. And I would let him/her know just how much I loved them, too.  
  
"I love you." I finally whispered, after a long pause. She giggled.  
  
"I love you too, my Dragon." She breathed.  
  
Our little moment was only interrupted when our four cats came wandering into the room, wondering what was taking us so long to fix dinner.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
//Dear Harry:  
  
I have just received the best news. It was so wonderful, that I went out and bought an owl, just for the occasion. His name is Benton (don't look at me, Kaitlynn named him).  
  
Anyway, on with my news.  
  
Kaitlynn's pregnant.  
  
Yes, I, Draco Malfoy, am going to be a father! I just found out yesterday, and I had to tell someone. Since Stephen, Rachel, and Caleb are on vacation in Florida, I decided to dish it out on you!  
  
Can you believe it? I will be a father in just under eight months, and I am already so excited that I can hardly sit still. I can't wait!  
  
All right, I'll stop acting like a seven-year-old school-girl now. How are you? How is Ginny? How is everyone there? I hope everything is well and dandy.  
  
I'd better go. This parchment is getting a little long.  
  
Yours in excitement,  
  
Draco//  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
//Draco:  
  
Let's just say, I am glad that I was sitting down at my desk when I received and read your letter. If I hadn't been, Madam Promphrey most likely would have had to revive me from my faint on the floor.  
  
No seriously. I was that shocked. And I have reason. Not only is Kaitlynn pregnant, but several significant others. Just listen to this.  
  
Ginny. Yes, my darling wife is pregnant, and is about one month through it as well. Fortunately, she hasn't had morning sickness.....yet. I'M GOING TO BE A FATHER, TOO!!!  
  
Cassia. Yes, your sister is about three months pregnant and going strong. Shane can't wait to be a father.  
  
*Hermione Weasley*! She is about five months through it, and a little bit grouchy, but Ron couldn't be happier.  
  
Rose Longbottom, my sister. She's due about the same time Ginny is. Funny the way those things work.....  
  
Luna Black (or Luna Lovegood, as you probably remember her), is due to have her son in less than a month.  
  
And Sheryl Lupin (the wife of our dear old professor), is due around the same time as Luna is.  
  
Plus, a whole bunch of my brothers-in-law have added to the Weasley population.  
  
Isn't that strange?! Every one of our wives is getting pregnant this year, or having their children then. I don't think Hogwarts will ever be able to stand this up-coming generation, no-way-no-how!  
  
Well, what do you think about that?  
  
~Harry  
  
BTW: What are you planning to name your child?//  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
//Harry:  
  
GREAT HIPPOGRIFFS AND HEAVEN ABOVE! ALL HELL WILL BREAK LOOSE WHEN THEY GET TO HOGWARTS!  
  
How do we ever manage it? I'm laughing my a*s off as I write this, I hope you know. The coincidence is just too ridiculous. Another Potter and a Malfoy, both the same age, and both carrying on the old Potter/Malfoy feud...or not...whichever they choose.  
  
Although, I am not sure that mine will be attending Hogwarts. Kaitlynn and I have talked about it, and though Malfoy manor would be a wonderful place to raise our kids, we would prefer to stay closer to her family, at least for now.  
  
And yes, we have chosen two names. One for a boy, the other for a girl. Jason Tanner if it's a boy, Jasmine Lark if it's a girl. Personally, I'm hoping for the boy, but fate will most likely land me with the latter. Oh well! I'm happy with whatever I get!  
  
I'd better go. We're going over to Kate's parent's house to tell them the news.  
  
~Draco//  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
//Draco:  
  
Great names. We're planning on James Darien if it's a boy (named after my father, of course), and Lily Marie if it's a girl (named after my mother, if you couldn't tell). The names were Ginny's idea, because she wanted to honor my parents. I can't say that I am in any way disappointed. I love the names!  
  
I hope that your meeting with the in-laws went well. I know how those things go, I've gone through them myself! Let's just say that Molly and Arthur are more than happy to have more grandchildren on the way, especially from their two youngest children.  
  
Perhaps your plans of staying in America are justified. I can understand that you don't want to up-root yourselves at so critical a time, and I wish you luck in your future plans.  
  
Oh. My. God.  
  
Since writing the above, something extraordinary has happened, and I can scarcely contain my excitement. Ginny went to see Madame Pomphrey, to have the baby examined. And the dear old nurse announced something that truly did cause me to faint (yes, I admit it. You can laugh, Ginny did.)  
  
We're having twins.  
  
Two babies.  
  
Twins.  
  
I'm going to be a father twice-over! I can hardly write, my hand is still shaking so much. I can't believe it! Two babies!  
  
And to make it better, Madame Pomphrey was able to determine early-on what gender they are. So here you go.  
  
I, Harry Potter, am going to be the father of not just a little boy, but a little girl as well. It looks like James Darien and Lily Marie are both going to be coming at the same time. Can you believe it?!?! I'm so happy!  
  
Well, I'd better go. Ginny want's to go over and tell her parents right away, and frankly, I can't wait to see their faces, either!  
  
~Harry//  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
~*~SEVEN AND A HALF MONTHS LATER.....~*~  
  
I felt myself nearing a panicky state as my lovely wife was rolled into the delivery room of the New York Regional Wizarding Hospital. Her long auburn hair was sweaty and strands of it stuck to her flushed cheeks, while she heaved in gulps of fresh air with each breath.  
  
I held her hand anxiously, sighing with relief as she was finally wheeled in and settled in an enclosed area. Then, the doctors began to move around like mother chickens, getting things ready for the arrival of this new human. I stared down at my silent wife, wondering at how she could be in so much pain, and yet still have the heart to keep from yelling bloody murder at me. Of course, Kaitlynn wasn't like that at all, so I had nothing to worry about.  
  
We had decided not to find out about the gender of the baby until he or she was born, thus making it all the more exciting for us. But as I looked down at my suffering wife, I wondered where all that excitement we had expected was. Then, Kaitlynn squeezed my hand hard, as another contraction washed over her. She let out a small whimper, but nothing more.  
  
"It's alright, Baby. You are doing wonderful, and I love you." I whispered, smoothing down her hair with my free hand. I could have sworn I saw a small smile on her lips before another contraction forced her to close her eyes tightly and moan. The female doctor must have heard, because she came up behind me and smiled at us.  
  
"It's time. Now, I need you to give a big push for me." She said in a calming voice. Kaitlynn took a breath and then did as the doctor directed. I was in a position to see what was happening, but I forced myself to keep my eyes on Kate's face, despite my curiosity.  
  
"The head's crowning! Give one last good push, and it'll be out." The doctor instructed. Again, Kaitlynn did as she was told, and I tore my eyes away from her just in time to see our child enter the world.  
  
There was a tiny baby cry.  
  
"Congratulations. It's a boy." The doctor whispered, putting the baby onto Kaitlynn's stomach and rubbing it vigorously with the soft baby blanket. I felt tears well in my eyes as I clutched onto Kaitlynn's now-limp hand, and stared down at my son.  
  
He was tiny, pale, and beautiful. Absolutely perfect. A nurse moved forward and wrapped the baby up quickly, taking the small, crying being away. I took this time to collect myself slightly and look back at my wife, smiling.  
  
"A boy, Draco. Isn't he beautiful?" She whispered, her blue eyes overcome with happy tears. I nodded, still in a stupor.  
  
"I love you, Kitten. And I love Jason Tanner Malfoy just as much." I murmured, saying my son's full name, since I still couldn't quite believe it. She smiled and weakly squeezed my hand.  
  
"I love you too, my Dragon." She breathed.  
  
"Would you like to hold your son, Mr. Malfoy?" Asked the nurse, holding out the baby. I stared at it, wide-eyed, then gingerly took my son from her, unsure of how to go about it exactly.  
  
"Support his neck." The nurse instructed, before bustling off. I looked down at the now sleeping face, and no longer could keep my tears at bay. There lay a perfect little human, with pale skin like mine, but a tiny flush in his cheeks, like Kaitlynn. He even had a bit of white-blonde fuzz on the top of his head that looked like hair.  
  
"Jason Tanner Malfoy." I whispered, staring at my son in awe. Then I moved closer to where my wife lay, watching us.  
  
"He *is* beautiful." I murmured, as I tenderly handed our son to her. She smiled, a bit stronger than she had before, and held Jason close, cooing to him gently. I watched them in silence, reveling in the fact that this was my family.  
  
My family.  
  
My wife, my son.  
  
My new life.  
  
Their lives.  
  
Little did I know, as I watched them happily, that in just over a year, two more children would be added to the Malfoy family. Their names would be Jasmine Lark and Serenity Anne. Though twins, they would be different as night and day, literally.  
  
Six years following the birth of the twins, another son would enter the world, this one named Darren Andrew.  
  
And seven years after him, one last girl would be born, Marina Rae.  
  
But for right now, there was just the three of us, Kaitlynn, Jason, and I. And at that moment in time, to me, they were all that existed in the world.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


	8. What it is to be a Malfoy

~*~*~*~  
  
To Be A Malfoy  
  
by: Daphne Li  
  
Epilogue  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
***FIVE YEARS LATER***  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
//Draco:  
  
For once, I am writing for a specific reason! Can you believe it?  
  
I am scheduled to come to America for a conference next week and it will last for at least two weeks. The problem? Ginny has already made plans with Hermione to go on vacation to Scotland (just the two of them), leaving Lily and Curtis (Hermione and Ron's son) with their grandparents. Unfortunately, I promised Ginny that I would watch James during this time, because of the fact he needs some *alone* time with his dad.  
  
Here is the complication. I have to be in meetings all day, and won't have time to watch him. Any ideas?  
  
If you have any, I would really appreciate it!  
  
Yours as a stressed out father,  
  
~Harry//  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
//Harry:  
  
He could stay with us. You both could. We have plenty of room, and I'm sure that Jason would enjoy the company. He gets a bit lonely with only the girls around all day, and Kaitlynn says that she would be more than willing to watch James.  
  
So there you are. Your solution. Will you take it, or leave it?  
  
Waiting for your reply,  
  
Draco//  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
~*~ONE WEEK LATER~*~  
  
*DING-DONG!!!*  
  
"I've got it!" Kaitlynn called, rushing down the stairs and past me on her way to the front door. I chuckled and followed her, watching as she flung open the door. Outside, stood two figures, one of which I knew quite well.  
  
"Harry! Come in! You must be exhausted!" Kaitlynn exclaimed, ushering the two inside. The little boy was hidden slightly behind his father's legs, so it was hard for me to catch a glimpse of him.  
  
"Thanks, Kaitlynn." Harry laughed, as he rolled his eyes at me. I grinned and shook the hand that he extended.  
  
"Long time no see, Potter."  
  
"Same to you." He muttered, sending me a teasing glare. I raised an eyebrow and looked at Kate, who was shaking her head affectionately.  
  
"Draco, why don't you show James to the playroom, while I take Harry to his room." She suggested, picking up the small duffel-bag that the little boy had been carrying. As he moved out of his father's shadow, I took in a breath.  
  
The boy was a complete and utter clone of his father, just like Jason was a complete clone of me. He had messy black hair that refused to stay put, and bright green eyes that stared up at me calculatingly. He did not wear glasses, but according to Harry, it would not be long before he would most likely need them.  
  
"Welcome, James. Jason's been looking forward to meeting you all week." I informed the five year-old, as we climbed the stairs. For a moment, he was silent, and I thought that perhaps he was a little shyer than Harry made him out to be. But that idea was squashed immediately.  
  
"Is he my age?" The boy asked in a slightly demanding voice. I held back a chuckle.  
  
"Yes. Just your age. He has two sisters too, but they are younger." I informed him. James groaned loudly, and I grinned. Just like a brother to dislike the idea of more girls.....  
  
"Here we are. Jason? James is here." I called into the playroom, as I opened the door. Inside, I could see a small boy with white-blonde hair sitting in the middle of the room, playing with a group of large dump- trucks. His Prussian-blue eyes looked up eagerly, and stared as James stepped cautiously into the room, staring back.  
  
"Jason, this is James Potter. James, this is Jason. James will be staying with us for a while, alright?" I said, addressing my son. He nodded, his eyes still on James.  
  
"Do you like trucks?" He asked bluntly, narrowing his eyes at the new boy. James, however, seemed unfazed and nodded eagerly. This seemed to satisfy Jason's conscious, and within a minute, they two boys were happily playing bumper-cars with the trucks. I watched them for a moment, then left the room, moving towards the twins room. The four year-olds had had a long day, and both had fallen asleep on their prospective beds.  
  
I stared at them, once again awed by how different a pair of twins could be. In fact, most of the people within our acquaintance had dubbed them the, 'night and day' twins. There was no doubt as to why, even at first glance.  
  
Jasmine, the older of the two by six minutes, was the 'day' twin. She had curly white-blonde hair like her mine, and warm blue eyes like her mother's. She had peaches n' cream skin, and was rather chubby, though adorably so. Jasmine also seemed to thrive on being outside the majority of the day, and one of her favorite past-times was playing with her friends in our large backyard. She was a happy and open child, outgoing and energetic as a girl her age could be.  
  
Serenity, however, lived up to her name, in both looks and personality. She had wavy auburn hair like her mother's, and bright blue-grey eyes like mine. She was pale, with just a touch of roses in her skin. Her lips, however, were a startling red, that never ceased to amaze me. She was a bit slimmer than her twin, and seemed to prefer going out at night and quietly gazing at the star-lit sky, rather than playing with her sister's friends. She was quiet, shy, somewhat naive, and not as energetic or outgoing as her sister. But she had a sweetness and understanding about her that never ceased to amaze all those who knew her.  
  
As I looked down on my two girls, I noticed that Serenity's eyes were now open, and gazing calmly at me, as though she knew just what I was thinking. She slowly climbed out of bed and walked over to me, indicating that she wanted to be picked up. I did as she asked, and held her silently, marveling over how light and small she still was, despite her age.  
  
"Alright, daddy?" She asked softly, her blue-grey eyes staring up at me as she put a small lily-white hand on my cheek. I closed my eyes at the sensation of her warm hand touching my skin, and smiled.  
  
"I'm fine, love. But guess what! We have a guest. His name is James, and he's going to be staying with us for a while." I informed her. She seemed to think this over for a while, then nodded.  
  
"Ok, daddy." Was her answer. She wriggled slightly and I set her down, watching as she walked silently towards the playroom. Out of all my children, I believe that I have the strongest emotional bond with Serenity. Sure, I have strong bonds with all of them, but with Serenity, it's different. It is as if she knows exactly what you need, right when you need it, and she alone knows how to give it to you.  
  
I watched her open the playroom door and silently crept after her, wanting to see how the boys would react to this intrusion. When I cautiously peeked around the door, I noticed that she had silently walked up behind them, watching their game with seemingly utmost interest. It only took a moment, however, for Jason to realize that an unwanted someone was now in the room.  
  
"I thought you were asleep, Reni." He complained, causing James to turn and stare at the girl. They all were frozen in that moment for a while, Jason staring annoyed, at his sister, James staring at Serenity, assessing her, while Serenity did the same with James.  
  
Then it was over.  
  
"I was." She answered in her little-girl voice, before turning and going over to the other side of the room, where the doll area was. I noticed that James stared after her with obvious curiosity, then turned back to Jason when the other boy demanded his attention. I sighed with relief.  
  
Usually, Jason would complain until his sister(s) left the room. Today, however, I realized that he was too wrapped up with making a new friend, that he didn't seem to care much that she was there. I smiled and turned away. Perhaps having James here would be a good experience for all of us.  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
James stayed for two weeks, while his father went to meetings and conferences around the area. He and Jason quickly became good friends, always agreeing on things to do, with few arguments. There was something that happened during his stay, that surprised me above all else, however.  
  
Jason and James began to include the girls in their games. It had begun with the boys playing 'Knights and Dragons', and them agreeing to let the girls be princesses. Then, they had moved on to 'Hide and Seek', and 'Tag'. Even Serenity was starting to open up a bit more, laughing loudly and sweetly as she watched her sister get tagged and begin to run after Jason, who had tagged her.  
  
Harry had also noticed James's growing openness towards his new friends.  
  
"Back in England, James has several friends that he sees occasionally, but none of them are girls, unless you count Lily." Harry murmured, one night when we had retired into my study.  
  
"Oh?"  
  
"Yes. Orion Black, Romulus Lupin, Curtis Weasley, and Max Biederon. They are all close, but I've never seen any of them open up to anyone outside of their circle of friends, unless you count family members." He murmured, taking a drink of the tea Kaitlynn had brought up for us. I thoughtfully closed my eyes.  
  
"I'm glad they have gotten to know each other better, though. Perhaps a Malfoy/Potter friendship union would be just the thing to stop the Malfoy name from dragging in the dirt." I said teasingly. Harry grinned.  
  
"Maybe."  
  
~*~*~*~  
  
The next day, Harry and James left.  
  
None of us could have guessed at that time, that this visit would spur more consecutive Harry/James summer vacations, starting with the next summer, and going on till the boys turned thirteen.  
  
Nor did we ever imagine that James and Jason would become such close friends, and that James would also come to be close to the rest of the Malfoy children.  
  
But that, is another story in and of itself.  
  
So I will leave it at this.  
  
I, Draco Malfoy, have found myself and my life. I have found the path that I was to take, and have taken it. I am living my life to its utmost, and loving every moment of it. I have a wife, two sons, three daughters, and four cats. I have friends and an in-law family who love and care for me. And above all, I have made a enemy into a friend, and that has made all the difference.  
  
This is my life, my future, my all.  
  
This is what it is, to be a Malfoy.  
  
~*~*~*~ 


End file.
